There has been a lot of discussion this week about whether or not black assistant coaches are being given fair opportunities to advance in the NFL, and Marvin Lewis would like to see the league somehow make some changes with the process teams go through to hire head coaches.
Lewis was the only other head coaching candidate the Dallas Cowboys interviewed before hiring Mike McCarthy. Since Lewis is black, many believe he was only interviewed so the Cowboys could satisfy the Rooney Rule, which states that NFL teams must interview at least one minority candidate when they are filling a head coaching vacancy. Lewis was asked about that by ESPN’s Golic and Wingo on Wednesday, and he said there are “a lot bigger problems than myself out there” in the NFL. He also called for the league to somehow “provide more opportunity” for black coaches.
“You keep beating your head up against the wall, but I would say — and again, this is somebody’s business, this is somebody’s franchise, and nobody’s going to tell them who to hire,” Lewis said. “But if we can just somehow open the process a bit more and provide more opportunity.”
While he has been criticized for never winning a playoff game, Lewis held his job with the Cincinnati Bengals for 16 years and compiled a record of 131-122 with the team. Having a winning record over that long of a span should be considered a success in the NFL.
There were five NFL head coach firings and vacancies in the NFL this season, and four have now been filled. Ron Rivera, who is a minority, got the Washington Redskins job and is currently one of only four minority head coaches in the NFL. The other three are Mike Tomlin, Anthony Lynn and Brian Flores.
It’s unclear what changes the NFL could make to increase opportunities for black coaches, but this offseason has been especially frustrating for black assistant coaches across the league. The hiring of Joe Judge by the New York Giants has drawn a lot of criticism, as he is 38 and has no previous head coaching experience at any level. He has never been an offensive or defensive coordinator, either.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who is black, has interviewed for head coaching jobs but does not look like he is going to get one, as the Cleveland Browns have the only vacancy remaining. With past Andy Reid offensive coordinators like Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy having enjoyed some success as head coaches, it’s not difficult to make the argument that Bieniemy deserved an opportunity over someone like Judge.
Several reporters have shared reports this week about the frustration of black assistant coaches across the NFL, and there’s a chance some of them are considering leaving the league because of it.
